Author Spotlight with Stephen Tremp: When Good Research Goes Bad

[image error] It's been a while since I did an Author Spotlight. Time to remedy that, I think! I bring you...Stephen Tremp!

Thank you Lydia for hosting me on my fifth stop of my Grand OPENING Tour. I've been looking forward to this post as we this topic has never been so relevant. 

 As writers or students of any craft, it's important we perform our due diligence in research. Or we look to people and organizations that are known for their expertise for advice and guidance. Example: I asked Lydia Kang for help regarding viruses, how they mutate, and how they differ from bacteria and toxins. I needed an accelerant to keep my books moving forward and introduce additional conflict, danger, and challenges. Thanks Lydia!

  [image error] Research and Development are in the private sector, governments, militaries, and academic centers such as colleges. Physics, medicine, energy, food, pharmaceuticals, and technology are just some of the areas scientists and engineers are on the cusp of making awesome breakthroughs that can and will change our lives and the way we perceive reality and our place in the universe. 

When cutting-edge research is regulated and performed in controlled environments, we can expect progress in physics, biochemistry, and nanotechnology to benefit mankind and move us forward. We should feel safe nuclear material is used everyday in the private and corporate sectors. Hospitals use it for medical and therapeutic use. It's used in medical and industrial research. Corporations and universities such as M.I.T. use the material everyday—safely, of course. M.I.T. has the second-largest university-based nuclear research reactor in the country. 

 Problem: There are people who use research, development, and the final product for purposes other than what they were designed for. Or they steal it and use it for their own greedy gain (a concept I use in my books). In real life, this can pose serious danger for countless people. And it can provide the premise and inspiration for writers of just about any genre. [image error]  

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, there was nuclear material unaccounted. Nuclear suitcases, of which I patterned the suitcases to open wormholes in BREAKTHROUGH and OPENING (check out the cover art for OPENING) look like ordinary cases people carry around with them and can be left just about anywhere in a major city, set to go off at a prearranged time. 

Then there's Richard Handl from Sweden who was arrested for having nuclear material and trying TO split atoms in his kitchen. Handl possessed the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment. He stated he wanted to try nuclear fission as a hobby. Handl had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove. [image error]  

Richard Preston's The Cobra Event is a great example of good research gone bad. It's about a fired and disgruntled scientist who develops a biological weapon in his kitchen that will thin out the human population. Orson Welles' 1984 is a story using technology, usually perceived as working toward moving society forward, facilitating the most diabolical evil to control and enslave people. The Sum of all Fears (Tom Clancy) is based on fear most governments have: Nuclear bombs going off in their cities. 

Question: We live in exciting and perilous times. Do you feel safe with the incredible advances we are witnessing? Or do they make you uneasy, wondering if they will indeed be used for good and not evil? 

You can visit Stephen Tremp at Breakthrough Blogs. 
BREAKTHROUGH and OPENING can be downloaded:Kindle for $1.99Smashwords for $1.99
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